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Ski Rex Media Visited The Inaugural Festivus Rail Jam At Suicide Six, Vermont


Not too far from the Ski Rex Media Headquarters is Suicide Six, a small, independent ski hill in Pomfret, Vermont. This past Saturday evening, December 28, they held the inaugural Festivus Rail Jam, a jam rules competition set under the lights of their groomer fleet. I can't lie to you, it was a good time with maybe one issue that needs to be looked into, but I'm sure the organizers have thought of it already, so I'll just get into how the night went.

 I arrived on the scene at about 4:30 P.M. I don't lie that I love Suicide Six's location. It's a great drive through central Vermont farm country, depending on the route one chooses. The way I go takes route 4 west through the very cool and small towns of Quechee and Woodstock. It's a nice place to visit and tour no matter the time of year, but double cool during ski season, whether there is a competition or not.

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Now, as I was walking up to the rail set up as the sun was going down, the kids had already started their session. It was a nice, small, low set up that the kids were hitting with everything they had, going as big as little kids can go. It was kind of awesome that there was a kid's division, not only giving them the chance to show off, but it gave them the chance to win against riders of their own level. It worked out pretty good I think. They gave it all they could until the sun was down, which meant it was time for the big kids to take their turn.

It should be noted that as I was arriving, and this doesn't have much to do with the competition, a couple and a woman and her dog starting an accent at sundown. I can give nothing but respect for that. Of course, that respect is given to anyone that likes to give an uphill run a try, but for me, it's more for the fact that they really are just heading out into the woods after dark, which I'm too chicken to do.

As the adults are gearing up to take their turn, the lights were being brought in, and by lights, I mean the groomers. Yes, part of the groomer fleet rolled up into position to give some light to those riding that night. There was a regular, run-of-the-mill tower light, but when there is a night session taking place, one will take all of the light they can get.
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From there, it was on. One right after the other these tricksters came down the hill and chose one of three features to use to show off for the judges. Now, the beauty of a rail jam is that it goes non-stop. It's one right after the other, only slowing down if the majority of the field happens to be making their ways back to the top at the same time, or if the session has timed out and the competition ends. Which, as with all good things, this one eventually did and the winners were crowned accordingly.
Credit: Suicide Six Recreation Area/FB

All in all, the organizers pulled off a pretty fun little event. The only issue was the amount of light. No, I'm not saying that because I could have taken better photos with more light, I'm just saying that the event could have used more light. I feel that those onhand agreed with that assessment since a third groomer was sent up the hill to shine some more light down on the rail set up. It is cool to see groomers lighting the way, but more would have been nice.

 But, as I said, it was still a pretty great experience. The mountain is really kind of awesome, the location the mountain is in is wicked nice, and it's amateur park kids and adults showing that they have what it takes to hit those features and make it look good. When the next one comes around, if you're in the area, check it out. Head to the Suicide Six website and follow them on social media to keep updated about this event, other events, daily snow reports, and any other information you might need or want.

Oh, and Congratulations to all the winners from each category. You all really did do some nice work out there. With that, this following video isn't so much a video as it is a bunch of the photos I took that night. Have a look and enjoy!
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